PARKING
AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

Carpooling

Towson University's carpooling program provides incentives to commuter students, faculty and staff who carpool to the university.The Carpool Program is designed to allow 2-4 individuals who are driving to campus togetherat the same time to associate a single permit with multiple vehicles (3 vehicles per person). Individuals who carpool are given four daily parking passes per term and offered a guaranteed ride home when an emergency or last-minute schedule change leaves them without transportation. Restrictions apply. See more information here.

Eligibility and Requirements

All members of the carpool must be employed or registered as a student at Towson University.

All carpool participants are required to have compatible schedules (75 percent of the time) when they are on the main campus and to live on a reasonable commuting path.

If the individuals are routinely driving their vehicles separately even at different times or on different days, they may NOT participate in the Carpool Program.

Participants who are not riding together and drive multiple vehicles to campus are subject to a $300 fine and other sanctions for sharing a permit.

The carpool group will need to determine who will purchase the permit and make the purchase prior to submitting the carpool application.

Carpool participants must purchase a semester or annual permit only.

Only one parking permit is issued per carpool, and only one of the registered vehicles may be parked on campus at a time.

All other members will be restricted from purchasing a permit once the application is approved.

If a carpool participant needs to drive separately from the registered carpool group, he or she is expected to use one of the four daily parking passes and park in the assigned visitor space.

Students will be required to park in the area of the participant with the most restricted parking privileges. Faculty/staff signing up with a student will be given the option to select the permit holder.

Individuals wishing to apply should complete and submit a carpool program application form with the required documentation listed below. The application should be signed by each member of the carpool and returned to the Parking and Transportation Services Office.

An application must be submitted each academic year to continue in the program. If a semester permit is purchased, an application will need to be resubmitted the following semester.

For additional information on the Carpool Program, see the Carpool FAQs.

If there are extenuating circumstances, exception requests can be submitted. Decisions will be made at the discretion of Parking & Transportation Services.

Commuter Connections

The Commuter Connections carpooling database is available for those who need to find a carpool match. The database enables you to search through a database of thousands of travelers in the metropolitan area to find individuals traveling to and from similar locations. You are able to contact suitable matches to set up carpools or van pools, saving you money and reducing your carbon emissions.

You will be able to send an instant email to your match. Your personal information is confidential until you choose to communicate with the potential ride match. If you are not comfortable meeting at your home, plan to meet at a public location. There are also park-and-ride lots throughout the central Maryland region that can serve as a meeting point.

Savings

Carpooling allows you to save money associated with gas, parking permits, and wear and tear on your car while simultaneously enabling you to help the environment. The savings below were calculated based on $.59 per mile, including fuel, insurance, depreciation and maintenance.

Example of cost savings

Individual Cost

Two Person Carpool

Avg. Annual Permit Cost

$303

$151.50

Avg. Annual Driving Cost

$8,946

$4,473

Total Annual Cost

$9,249

$4,624

The above example is based on $.59 per mile. Average 2012 cost per mile for automobile operation as estimated by AAA includes fuel, insurance, depreciation, and maintenance for a vehicle traveling 15,000 miles per year. Cost per mile varied from $.45 to $.76 per mile depending on the size of the vehicle.